Toronto Maple Leafs: David Warsofsky Clears Waivers

Toronto Maple Leafs Veteran defenseman David Warsofsky is likely headed to the AHL once again after he cleared waivers today.

David Warsofsky became a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization early in the off-season when general manager Kyle Dubas pulled off a multi-asset trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that also saw them acquire the 15th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, as well as forward prospect Fillip Hallander.

Via CapFriendly’s Transactions account on Twitter, David Warsofsky has officially cleared waivers – paving a way for him to link up with the Toronto Marlies should the AHL season officially begin as planned in February.

Warsofsky was considered a throw-in part of the deal, but he could still hold some value to the Leafs organization if the AHL does hold their planned 2021 season.

Warsofsky And The Marlies

While the 30-year-old left-handed blueliner has 55 NHL games to his name, the majority of his professional career has come in the minors, having spells with the Providence Bruins, Colorado Eagles, San Antonio Rampage and, most recently, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

In his most recent season in the AHL, Warsofsky scored ten goals and registered 33 total points in 51 regular season appearances with the WBS Penguins, in a season where he was named captain of the team. (All stats via Elite Prospects).

Wearing the ‘C’ demonstrates the strong leadership traits the Marshfield, Massachusetts native has, which makes him a strong addition for the Toronto Marlies in 2021 after a disappointing seventh-place finish in the North Division last season.

The Marlies struggled greatly after the departure of head coach Sheldon Keefe, who now helms the Leafs, finishing with a record of 29-27-5, and the need to add some experience and leadership was addressed with the addition of Warsofsky.

The move to place him on waivers without an invite to training camp showed that the Leafs had already made a clear decision regarding the competition for places on the team’s taxi squad this season, viewing Warsofsky as a player they would prefer to have playing regularly with the Marlies.

The 5-foot-9, 170lbs defenseman  will bring with him some international experience also, with a gold medal for Team USA in the World Junior Championships as well as a ten-game run with his country in the 2016 World Championships.

Warsofsky is an ideal add to the Marlies’ roster, with the AHL tenatively agreeing to a February 5th start for the 2021 season, and seeing his name on the waiver wire yesterday came as no surprise to Toronto Maple Leafs fans.